Fears that the Maldives was set to ditch its hard-won reputation for shark and ray protection by once again sanctioning destructive longline fishing have been scotched.
After a campaign by international scientists and the public supported by the Maldives’ own sustainable tuna fisheries, President Mohamed Muizzu is said to have personally intervened. He has decided not to press ahead with reissuing longline licences that could have threatened the survival chances of vulnerable targeted and bycatch species.
In mid-August Divernet had run the article Maldives’ Longline Plans Put Pro-Shark Reputation At Risk, explaining that scientists and conservationists were calling on the major diving destination’s government to reconsider a draft regulation that would have allowed the landing of shark and ray bycatch. It had also suggested that divers might consider signing a petition on the issue.
Longline fishing would have increased pressure on tuna populations on local small-scale fishers in the Maldives depend.
“One-by-one tuna fisheries are a proud Maldivian tradition that can be traced back hundreds of years,” says Callum Roberts, professor of marine conservation at the University of Exeter and a Maldives coral researcher. “Few places can demonstrate such extraordinary long-term sustainability.
“By rejecting more efficient and destructive fishing methods, the Maldives shows other countries a better route to balancing fishing income with ocean health and nature protection.”
Detrimental effects
Overseas vessels began longline fishing in the Maldives in 1985. The practice was banned in 2010 but reopened the following year before, in response to further irregularities, the government stopped issuing new licences in 2019.
Concern had been raised when the Ministry of Fisheries & Ocean Resources announced recently that because it believed that longline fishing for yellowfin and bigeye tuna and swordfish could generate significant revenue for local fisheries without causing any adverse effects, it was preparing new guidelines to regulate the practice.
Environmental bodies both in and outside the Maldives expressed their concerns about detrimental effects resulting from such a move on both its environment and economy – and raised the prospect of action being taken by the European Union.
”More than 100 international scientists supported a campaign led by local and international conservation NGOs, local fishers and tourism groups, and co-signed a letter to the government to express concern over moves to reissue licenses,” says UK ocean conservation charity Blue Marine Foundation. “The campaign moved the wider public, with 30,000 signatures on a petition in just a fortnight.”
‘Wise intervention’
“Longlining would have resulted in the deaths of countless valuable marine creatures, including sharks, turtles, rays and seabirds, damaging Maldives’ tourism brand and the reputation of its tuna fisheries,” stated the Maldives Ocean Alliance of local environmental bodies.
The MOA had linked up with the Maldives’ Yellowfin Tuna Fishermen’s Union to launch the petition, which called on the international community to make the government aware of the ecological, economic and reputational repercussions of longlining.
“We congratulate the president for his wise intervention,” stated the MOA. “Destructive fishing practices like longlining not only contribute to overfishing but will also destroy the identity and economic stability of our fishers and their families. We thank the President for listening to our concerns and reversing this decision for the benefit of many, instead of a few influential groups.”
“It is time for the international community to actively acknowledge the Maldives for its commitment to its people and nature, supporting Maldivian fishers by purchasing their sustainable pole and line-caught tuna and by international governments reviewing trade agreements in light of the Maldives' high sustainability ethos,” says the Blue Marine Foundation.
Also on Divernet: MALDIVES DENIES PLANS TO ENDANGER SHARKS, TRAPPING ZONE: MYSTERY CANTEEN FOR MALDIVES SHARKS, MALDIVES MANTA RETURNS FROM THE DEAD, BATTY AS FROGFISH ON BIKES
This is great news, I recently returned from Galapagos where fishing is banned, the result is that there are hundreds if not thousands of sharks to see on every dive. Unfortunately Chinese and other Asian boats still set long lines and nets on the territory limits and allow them to drift into their waters😡